Herb: Canyon Grape


Latin name: Vitis arizonica


Family: Vitaceae (Grape Family)



Edible parts of Canyon Grape:

Fruit - raw or dried for winter use. The fruit is fairly small, but it is quite luscious. The fruit is about 10mm in diameter and is borne in bunches. Leaves - raw. Chewed to allay thirst. Young leaves are wrapped around other foods and then baked, they impart a pleasant flavour. Young tendrils - raw or cooked.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Climber

Height:
5 m
(16 feet)

Flowering:
June
to July

Habitat of the herb:

Streamsides and in canyons, often climbing into trees, 600 - 2260 metres in Arizona and Utah.

Other uses of Canyon Grape:

A yellow dye is obtained from the fresh or dried leaves.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe. Six weeks cold stratification improves the germination rate, and so stored seed is best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is obtained. Germination should take place in the first spring, but sometimes takes another 12 months. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter. Plant out in early summer. Cuttings of mature wood of the current seasons growth, December/January in a frame. These cuttings can be of wood 15 - 30cm long or they can be of short sections of the stem about 5cm long with just one bud at the top of the section. In this case a thin, narrow strip of the bark about 3cm long is removed from the bottom half of the side of the stem. This will encourage callusing and the formation of roots. Due to the size of these cuttings they need to be kept in a more protected environment than the longer cuttings. Layering.

Cultivation of Canyon Grape:

Streamsides and in canyons, often climbing into trees, 600 - 2260 metres in Arizona and Utah.

Medicinal use of the herb:

None known

Known hazards of Vitis arizonica:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.